By Ramon
Dacawi
BAGUIO CITY -- Local and visiting horse
tenders, with support from city officials and the
audience, provided a humanitarian dimension to this year’s
“Panagbenga” by raising P24,997 for an ailing teen-aged girl during
the Pony Boys Day feature of the Baguio flower festival last March 1
at the city athletic bowl.
In-between their races
and games on horseback, the pony boys – and girls - passed the hat
for 15-year old Arabella Maranes, daughter of a pony boy who was recently
diagnosed and twice operated on for Ewing’s
sarcoma, a type of cancer growth on her back.
In the process, the
pony riders inspired the community – at least those who came to watch them race
– to contribute to the girl’s hope – and dream – for a brighter
tomorrow.
Cancer specialists
here were conferring last week on how to go about
Arabella’s third surgery and chemotherapy treatment, said
her father, Joseph, former president of the Wright Park Pony Boys Association
who has been a member of the organizing committee of the Pony Boys
Day feature since the launching of the festival 19 years ago.
Arabella, a third year
high school student at the Pines Montessori School and a scion of the
once-landed Ibaloy clan Molintas of Pacdal and Gibraltar barangays here , had
already undergone two surgeries.
“My family is deeply
grateful for this spontaneous and collective act of support to Arabella,”
Joseph said after receiving the fund support from William Damian and Orlando
Segundo of the Kabadjo Handlers Association based at the Camp John Hay.
Moved by the effort,
former world shotokan karate champion Julian Chees, who is now based in
southern Germany, matched what was raised with an equal
amount of P25,000.
Part of Chees’
counterpart support, however, will now be used for the treatment and recovery
of Valerie Sito, a 16-year old pony boy who was injured when his mount tripped
while negotiating a bend of the athletic bowl in the penultimate race of the
day.
Likewise, some of the
competing teams decided that part of the cash prizes they
will receive will be support of Arabella’s fight against the big
C. Such decision revived the pony boys’ practice in previous festivals to
give away a portion of their winnings to people in need.
Topping those who
responded to the call for support to Arabella’s fight was Engr. Benigno “Lao”
Aliping, adviser of the WPPBA who issued a check for P10,000 after hearing of
their girl’s medical plight.
The John Hay Pony Boys
handed over P5,500 while city councilor Joel Alangsab, chairman of the Pony
Boys Day feature, contributed P2,000, aside from providing the initial expenses
for the medical tests on the injured pony boy.
Members of the
multi-awarded highland Cowboys/Cowgirls Rodeo team who provided roping and bull
whipping exhibition and are bound for the Masbate Rodeo this summer pooled
P1,000. Councilor Arnel Bahingawan of Itogon, Benguet, also shared P2,000.
Two other city
councilors, former La Trinidad, Benguet councilor William
Esteban Dr. Casusi, Leonarda Padduyao, lawyer Benny
Bomogao and Julia Pucay of the Guisad Central Line
Dancers each turned over P500. Leonie Keith added P100, while the
audience pooled P893.
The Pony Boys Day,
shelved in some editions of the festival, was ordered revived by then congressman
and now mayor Mauricio Domogan to enable locals and visitors to have
a glimpse into local history, when they horse was the means of transportation
among the Ibaloys, the original settlers of Baguio.
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